Protective Relays with Traveling Wave Technology Revolutionize Fault Locating

Accurate fault locating on transmission lines is of great value to power transmission asset owners and operators. Fault locating as a discipline dates back to the 1940s. Visual inspection methods evolved from road patrols in the past, to air patrols today, and, more recently, to trials with unmanned aerial vehicles. Fault locating using electrical measurements evolved from simple electromechanical devices to microprocessor-based systems integrated with geospatial data.